Potential
by Trixi Summers
Summary: Set after 'Potential', another Potential Slayer comes to Sunnydale to find the Slayer, but she finds more than she bargained for. *Chp. 3/4 up!*
1. Contemplation

**Chapter I: Contemplation**

RATING: PG

SPOILERS: early Season 7 spoilers

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything Buffy related nor am I affiliated with Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, or the WB/UPN networks. 

A/N: Italics, when without *, indicate thoughts.

It was already sundown by the time the airplane landed. She sat, tensed, in her seat by the window, watching the colours and occasional buildings of Sunnydale fly by. This was her first time in an airplane without her family, far away from home. She had no idea how she was going to find the Slayer of Sunnydale, but she decided to cross that bridge when she got to it. 

Fifteen-year-old Mira Andrews was a Potential Slayer. Her shoulder-length brown hair was pinned up in an improvised bun and her small, blue wire-rimmed glasses were perched high on her nose. She had blue eyes, one eye darker than the other, that were shaded a colour like the sky. She was toned and fit; with only a thin layer of fat visible and was probably stronger than most normal people could hope to accomplish. 

The plane landed at Sunnydale Airport. The old lady beside Mira commented, "See there? That's the old airport. The new airport is being built at the moment. You'll love the new airport. They're planning to put an actual donut shop inside." Mira smiled at the old woman and snorted inside. _What? They couldn't have a donut shop across the street from the old airport?_ Mira thought. 

Mira followed the rest of the passengers off the plane and looked around the old airport. It was respectable enough, with high ceilings and cream-coloured walls. Multitudes of people milled around Mira as she walked further into the airport. She scanned the crowd for anybody coming to claim her, but found no signs or people waving at her. 

"I guess the Seers in England haven't found me yet," Mira whispered to herself as she went to claim her baggage. This was a major problem. She didn't know who the Slayer was so she couldn't call her and she didn't have any American money. She didn't have enough time to change her Canadian dollars into American dollars before she left Canada. This meant that she was going to have to find a bank to change her money or go walk the streets until sun-up, hoping the guys with no eyes didn't attack her. 

Sighing, she grabbed her bags and made for the airport exit, saying under her breath, "This is going to be a long night." 

*** 

At the Summers' home, it also looked like it was going to be a long night. As soon as Buffy walked through the door, she found some of the Potentials fighting with Xander. Again. She stood in the doorway to the living room and watched the group in front of her yell. 

"It was NOT my fault that I was using the bathroom for a long time!" Rona yelled. "The hot water seemed to have evaporated because you have been using the water for your showers lately!" 

Molly scoffed and yelled back, "AS IF! I am not the only one in this house who SMELLS after training!" 

"Guys…" Xander began, but was interrupted by another yell. 

Kennedy retorted, "Well, at least _we_ don't smell as much as _you_ do, Molly!" 

"People…" Xander started again, but once again, he was cut off. 

"I SMELL?!" Molly threw back. "Calling the kettle black, are we?!" 

"Potential Slayers?" Xander tried again, but failed in his third attempt to break the conversation. The war between the Potentials waged on and Vi and Amanda, who looked on in interest, joined Buffy in the doorway. 

"What's going on?" Vi asked Buffy. "Something about a bathroom, hot water…and being smelly?" Buffy said. She shook her head and sighed. "The conversation lost me after the first use of the word 'water'." 

She signalled to Xander and made for the kitchen with Vi and Amanda in tow and Xander coming in through the hallway. There they found Dawn sitting at the island in the centre of the kitchen, tapping a pencil on her homework with earphones on. The music on the CD player was so loud that they could hear it from the entrance. Xander grinned mischievously at the others, tiptoed to Dawn, and tapped her on the shoulder. Dawn shrieked and jumped, and pulled her earphones off, ready to throw a punch. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Xander. 

"You are so getting a jar of spiders in your sleeping bag sometime, Xander," she threatened, pointing her finger at while Vi and Amanda giggled. 

"Hey, I've always liked spiders," Xander said, grinning, as he went to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. 

"No you haven't," Buffy scolded, but grinned too. "Oh, and pass me one while you're there, k?" Xander complied and threw her a bottle of water. Buffy leaned against the island, opening her bottle. "How long have they been at it?" she asked Xander, pointing towards the living room. 

"Oh, an hour or so," Xander answered, taking a seat next to Dawn. "At first, I was hoping their fight would die down, but I think they're getting more heated and heated. They'll probably start throwing things anytime now." 

As if on cue, the fighting in the living room suddenly stopped. The group in the kitchen perked up more, listening for any signs of breaking objects. Their ears were greeted with the sounds of louder fighting and things crashing into pieces. 

Dawn suddenly sat up straighter. "Buffy, Mom's china!" 

Buffy gasped and went back into the living room. Above the din of breaking vases and loud voices, one could discern Buffy's annoyed yell, "QUIET!" In the wake of her yell, the room dropped into a suddenly terrifying silence that did not fit the Summers household. 

Buffy took a deep breath and said in a lower voice, "This fight is over. You have to learn to share the bathroom because it is the only one in the house we've got." She spotted a certain blue and white dish in Kennedy's hands and snatched it away. "Oh, and by the way, the next time you throw things, stay away from my mother's china." She pointed to the case of other blue and white dishes and quickly went over to put the china plate she was holding back before stomping back into the kitchen. 

Slumping onto a stool, she found the others watching her apprehensively, except Dawn. Dawn was busy doing her homework with her earphones on. When she felt herself being watched, she looked up at Buffy, her eyes brightening. 

Pulling off her earphones, Dawn asked, "Oh! Are they finished their fight?" 

That was when the Potentials in the living room began to fight again. Dawn pouted and Buffy put her head on the table tiredly. 

*** 

Mira took to the streets looking for a bank that could change her money currency. After not spotting a bank after an hour of walking, she relented and looked for any place that would allow her to stay for the whole night, like a 24-hour mall, or a 24-hour bookstore, or…a 24-hour library! 

The sight of a tall building alive with lights greeted her delighted eyes. The sign posted above the door read 'Sunnydale Library'. It was ten o'clock already, so Mira figured it would probably stay open late. She ran up the stairs, two at a time, and excitedly opened the doors, nearly knocking over a bent old man. She threw an apology over her shoulder as she flew into a comfy chair by the window. She had never been this excited to see books, shelter, and a comfy chair in the same place and same time before. She looked around hopefully. _Do they sell coffee too?_

A couple of hours saw Mira scanning through the multitudes of books on the shelves in the library. She clung mostly to the books on the supernatural and science fiction. She finally found a book that sounded interesting and went back to her chair. 

After a couple of minutes of reading, she looked up to see a young red-haired woman watching her intently. The woman looked away quickly and went back to writing. Mira looked around the library and found that there weren't many people there. Her eyes scanned the front desk and found a greying old lady scanning the room as well. Mira looked away quickly before the lady's eyes met hers and her gaze drifted back to the red-haired woman. After a few minutes wondering why that girl had been staring at her, she went back to reading her book. 

Nearly a hundred and fifty pages of _Interview With The Vampire_ and three hours later, Mira found she could not stop yawning. The red-haired woman had disappeared an hour ago and already the greying lady was looking at her apprehensively every ten minutes. Mira's eyes were also watering and soon she fell into a deep sleep…where she had a dream.

*

"Mommy!" A child's voice echoed somewhere in the darkness of the night. The little child cried out for her mother a couple more times before Mira could finally see her. She was blonde and quite chubby, but with the most adorable and innocent blue eyes. At the moment, the child's eyes were filled with tears and fright. 

Mira knelt down to talk to the child, but the girl did not seem to see her. She stared right through Mira, lost and bewildered. Mira tried to calm the girl, but now words came out. Suddenly, the child's terrified scream pierced the night. Mira whipped around to see what the child had been looking at. A man was standing above a body, but he did not have a normal face. He snarled at the little child, showing his pointed teeth, and his yellow eyes looked out from underneath the bumpy ridges of his brow. 

The body was of a young girl who couldn't have been more than twenty-one. She too had blonde hair and she would've been as pretty as her daughter was if she were still alive. But the young woman's skin was tinged a ghastly pale and there were two puncture marks on her neck, rimmed with blood. 

The little girl ran to her dead mother, sobbing, "Mommy!" She clung to her mother's arm while the vampire above them morphed back into his human form. He was handsome, all right. His brown hair was cut short and pointed upwards a little, and he had well-defined cheekbones and intense eyes. But his mouth was drawn into a deadly smirk as he regarded the little girl and her mother. 

Then, the mother's eyes opened. 

* 

Mira immediately awoke from the dream and looked around wildly. She had fallen asleep with her head on the arm of the chair and the book still lying in her hands. 

"Dear…" someone said from above her, causing her to jump. Mira looked up to see the greying lady standing beside her chair, looking anxiously down at her. "It's already 3 in the morning. Don't you think you should be going home right about now?" 

"Oh, sorry, but that's not really workable," Mira answered. 

"Oh? How come?" the lady asked. 

Mira regarded the lady suspiciously for a second before answering. "'Cause I'm new in town and I don't have any American money to get a room at a motel." 

The lady pursed her lips together indecisively. "Alright then. You can stay here for now. But I want you gone by sunrise." 

Mira nodded to the lady before the lady turned and went back to the front desk. She sighed and leaned back in her chair again, contemplating. 


	2. Cause It's Always Got To Be Money

**Chapter II: 'Cause It's Always Got to Be Money **

_Italics_ are thoughts.

*

Willow looked curiously at the young girl in the chair. The girl couldn't have looked more than fifteen or sixteen years old. Her brown hair was pulled up into the kind of bun Buffy liked to use and she had a pair of glasses perched on her nose. Beside the girl sat a couple of bags and suitcases. Willow frowned. _Wouldn't a new person to Sunnydale check into a motel and then come here?_

She peered intently at the girl who was now reading a book. Suddenly, the girl looked up and saw Willow watching her. Willow quickly made herself look busy, taking notes out of her textbook. The girl's eyes left Willow and Willow raised her eyes up, but kept her head bent to show she was still working, and watched what the girl was doing. The girl was looking around the library it seemed. 

The girl kept her eyes on the librarian for a time before returning them to Willow. Willow went back to note taking and continued that even after the girl's eyes left her. An hour or two later, Willow packed up to go back to the Summers' house. She wanted to know if there were anymore Potentials arriving in Sunnydale. 

As Willow went to open the library door, she looked back. The girl was still absorbed in her book and wasn't looking at Willow. Then Willow looked at the clock above the door. It was midnight. Willow sighed and left just as the clock began to chime out midnight softly. 

*** 

When Mira could not get back to sleep, she kept reading her book. When the clock struck five in the morning, Mira began to get ready to leave. She placed the book on the shelf where she found it and said a 'Thank you' to the greying lady who she had come to know as Dorothy. Then, she quickly gathered her bags and left the building. 

It wasn't dawn yet, but Mira could just see the horizon getting lighter. She walked along the street, relaxing against the cool night air. She was thankful it wasn't too cold down south. Back in Canada, in the south where she lived, it was a 50/50 bag. The weather was often weird in Ontario, especially during the winter. One winter it went down to -22°C, and that was without the wind-chill factor. It was so nice to wear a thin sweater during the winter. 

The sun finally came up, rising high in the sky. Mira decided to take one more stab at the banks to change her money so she could eat. She quickly found the Bank of Sunnydale and went inside to stand in a short line-up to the tellers. Once it was her turn, she stepped up to a teller with long brown hair. The teller looked up and smiled. 

"How may I help you?" she asked. 

"Uh, do you know if I can change Canadian money into American money here?" Mira asked, crossing her fingers behind her back. 

And the girl nodded. "How much will you be changing?" she asked. 

Mira smiled, relief flooding into her face. "Over $600 Canadian," she told the teller, and began to pull out her money. 

*** 

"I swear, there was something about that girl," Willow said as she and Buffy stepped into the Bank of Sunnydale. It was only a half hour after the sun had went up, but Buffy had insisted on coming to the bank early, and Willow had decided to go with her. 

"Do you think this girl could be a Potential?" Buffy whispered once they got inside and had joined the line. 

"I don't know," Willow said dejectedly. "All I know is that she seemed like a Potential. I wish I knew something more." 

"It's okay, Willow," Buffy said, laying a hand on Willow's arm. "We will-" 

"Buffy, look!" Willow exclaimed in a whisper. Buffy looked to where Willow was pointing and saw a girl at the teller, looking relieved. 

"Is that her?" Buffy asked. 

Willow nodded. "That's her. That must have been the reason why she hasn't checked into a motel yet. Because she needed money." 

The line moved closer to the girl so that Buffy and Willow could hear what they were saying. The teller had come back and was counting bills while the girl held a wad of bills in her hand. 

"This should come up to almost $400," the teller was saying. She smiled as the girl gave her the wad of money and she gave the girl the American bills. The girl signed a form and put the now-American money into her pocket and started for the bank door, but not before noticing Willow and Buffy. 

The girl gave a small smile to Willow, which Willow returned, before she turned back to going to the door. But before the girl could make it there, a man had pulled a gun out of his jacket and pointed it at her head. 

"FREEZE!" he yelled to the room. "Nobody move! If somebody does, this girl dies! Give me your money, girl." 

Buffy's Slayer senses kicked in and she was about to beat the man senseless, but she quickly noticed that the girl was already doing a fine job at it. She had the man in a deathgrip and had knocked the gun out of the man's hand with her knee. After kicking the gun away from them, the girl flipped the man onto his back, turned him over and tied his hands together. Then she stood, breathing heavily as the people in the bank clapped. 

Buffy looked disbelievingly at Willow while Willow returned the look._Could she really be a Potential Slayer?_


	3. Problems

**Chapter III: Problems **

As soon as she had flipped the robber onto his back, Mira knew she was in trouble. She couldn't stop now though, because the robber was likely to grab the gun and aim it at her again. She quickly turned him over and grabbed the nearest piece of rope, tying his hands together. Then she released the robber and stood, breathing heavily and looking about the room. 

The room suddenly burst into clapping and whistles, and Mira blushed. A couple of the men were helping to stand the robber and hold him while a teller called the police. They were happy for her. She had saved the day, and that made her proud of herself. 

But the red-haired girl was shocked. Mira was sure she was the same girl she had seen in the library only a night before. And the blonde girl beside her was way more shocked than the red-haired girl was. But suddenly, the blonde began to clap along with everyone else and gave Mira a small smile before nudging the redhead to do the same. 

Only a couple of minutes later, the police cars showed up. They arrested the bad guy, asked everyone a couple of questions about what they saw, and began to bring some people down to the police station for statements. And Mira was one of those people. 

Since she was the victim who was able to turn against the robber, she had to make an official statement against him, telling them what she did and what he did, etc etc. The police took her down to the station with all her bags and there she sat at a bench, waiting for her turn to talk, all the while getting pats on the back by others who had seen what she did. 

It was nearing her turn when Mira suddenly noticed who had just walked out of the interrogation room. It was the red-haired girl. She noticed Mira too and decided to come over. 

"Hi, I'm Willow Rosenberg," the red-haired girl said, holding out her hand. 

Mira shook her hand. "Mira Andrews," she told her. 

"So, those were some pretty nice moves you used back there," Willow said conversationally and sat down beside Mira. 

"Yeah, they were kind of stuck in my brain after those martial arts classes I took in Aurora," Mira told her. "I'd always wanted to flip someone in a situation like that." 

"You took martial arts classes?" Willow asked. 

"Just a couple different types of martial arts," Mira answered. "I was close to getting my black belt in most of my classes, and I already have one in karate." 

Willow's eyebrows raised up. "Really? Wow, you must be really strong to pull that off. So, why are you here then? Why aren't you back at your home practising to get the rest of those black belts?" 

"I'm looking for someone," Mira replied, frowning inside. Her answer was technically true. She was looking for the Slayer, but she couldn't tell a perfectly normal person that. 

"Oh, well I hope you find that someone," Willow said. She checked her watch. "I better go. My friend Buffy wants me to get her some stuff for her and she might be a little pissed if I don't start now." She got up and grabbed her purse. "It was nice meeting you, Mira. And I would help you with a place to stay, as it looks like you haven't found one yet, but I already have a lot of houseguests." 

Mira smiled. "It's okay," she told her. "I'm fine with the shelter thing. I've got some cash now so I was thinking of checking into a motel sometime today." 

"Andrews, Mira," a police officer called from the interrogation room. 

"Oh, that's me," Mira said, standing up. "But it was nice meeting you too, Willow. And have fun getting that thing for your friend." 

"Yeah, I'll try," Willow said, smiling. "So, I will see you later." 

Mira nodded as she grabbed her bags. Then, both girls separated: one going to the door of the police station and the other going to the interrogation room. 

*** 

"It was amazing," Buffy told the Scooby Gang as they sat around the dining table. She had got home before Willow because she hadn't been taken down to the station for questioning. "I think that girl might be a Potential." 

"Another Potential," Xander stated as he leaned back. "Once again, right here under our noses." 

"I don't think she's a resident though," Buffy told them. "Not like the last one was. She had bags with her and was exchanging foreign currency into American money. I saw it, the money I mean. It wasn't American. It had a loon on one, and that one was a light green. And some others were blue and purple. She had quite a few of those. When she exchanged it, it came out to $400 American." 

"These were bills, right?" Giles asked. Buffy nodded. "Then she's Canadian." 

"And if she's Canadian, she'll probably want to get away from the heat," Anya said. "It's not usually this hot in Canada, especially during the winter." 

"Well, actually-" Giles was about to say, but the door to the house opened and Willow came into the dining room. 

"Fill them in, Buffy?" Willow asked as she placed some groceries just inside the kitchen. Dawn got up to put them away and Xander excused himself to help her. 

Buffy nodded to Willow. "Did you talk to her?" she asked. 

"Her name's Mira Andrews," Willow said in reply. "She's been studying the martial arts and has a black belt in karate." 

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, she has enhanced her skills. Good for her." 

Willow nodded. "She could be a Potential, but then again, with her training in the martial arts, we can't really say for sure. It's entirely possible that she was able to defeat the robber because she knows karate and such. But one thing I know for sure is that she is looking for someone. And that someone could be the Slayer." 

Buffy sighed. She thought a moment before asking; "Do you know is she knows who she's looking for?" 

Willow shook her head. "I didn't ask, but she was clear that she was looking for someone." 

Buffy nodded and got up when Dawn and Xander came to stand in the doorway to the kitchen. "All of you, no matter where you are, keep an eye out for her and call me when you see her. I'll keep my cell phone with me so you can call me anywhere. I'll tell Spike to lookout for her too. And Willow, if you see her again, ask her some more questions, like where she came from, who she's looking for, stuff like that." She packed her purse as she talked and Dawn grabbed her backpack. "Okay then, let's get to school." 

*** 

After an hour of questioning, Mira was finally able to leave. The police referenced her to some places she could stay in and she checked them out after leaving, finally settling for Highway 41 Motel because the owner was nice enough to offer a discount when she learned what had happened with Mira. 

Mira's room was small, but it was comfy. There was a nice, big bed in the corner and a desk to write at. A loveseat faced a television that had cable, which Mira knew she would enjoy. It would be fun to know how it felt like to watch American channels on American soil. The bathroom was also small, but it had a nice shower and wasn't as cracked and peeling as some bathrooms she had seen in some motel rooms. 

Mira passed the rest of the day by sleeping fitfully on the couch, wondering when the Bringers would show up. She woke up at dinnertime and watched the news. She was quite pleased when the reporters named her as a hero when they described what had happened in the bank. Then a thought struck her. _What if the First Evil had TV and could guess that I am a Potential Slayer? _That would mean she was an easy target. All the First had to do was look up Mira's name in every motel records book and send its henchmen to storm her motel room. 

She had to get out of there, at least for the night. Go somewhere the Bringers wouldn't think to storm. Not the library. That was too easy to find her in, what with those large windows they have. 

Mira grabbed her purse and left the motel room as quickly as she could. She walked to the nearest corner store nervously and bought some food to eat. Then she left the store and kept walking, although slowly so she could conserve energy for running. 

A cemetery suddenly loomed up. Inside, she could see a mile of gravestones and mausoleums, but nothing was stirring inside. At least, she couldn't see anyone inside, but there could be demons or vampires hiding in the bushes. Mira was about to go in, but she remembered that the Bringers would be hiding in there too. 

All the same, Mira slowly climbed over the fence, her Slayer senses overly active. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she nervously waited for something to happen when she landed on the ground inside the cemetery. When nothing happened, she began to walk quietly. 

But she wasn't quiet enough because a vampire suddenly sneaked up behind her and attacked her. On reflex, she began to kick and punch the vampire, forcing him off of her. She delivered a series of high kicks to the vampire's face, before jumping up to kick him down. 

"Slayer," he growled, rolling to one side and getting up slowly. "You've changed. I thought you were blonde, and didn't have glasses." 

"No, see that's where you're wrong," Mira told him. "I'm not the Slayer, I'm a Potential Slayer. A lot of people get that wrong." 

The vampire cocked his head to one side, regarding her. "So, you're one of those girls the First wants to kill?" Mira nodded. "Cool!" he said excitedly. 

Mira frowned. "I fail to see how you find this cool," she told him. 

"I'm fighting a Potential," the vampire replied, becoming serious. "That's a big step from normal people to strength-enhanced people on the cool chain. Not many vampires or demons could say they fought a Slayer and live to tell the tale. But you're the next best thing, and if I beat you, I will be considered cool." 

Mira rolled her eyes at him. "What is it with some people and desperately wanting to be cool? Sure, it gets you accepted in the crowd, but being weird is always good too." 

"Yeah, well, I'm a vampire," the vampire said to her. "You're a human, a mortal. We see things differently." Mira put a hand on her hip. "Really, we do have a cool chain. The other vampires consider me geek-y because I like to read and don't get out much, therefore, I'm not accepted with many." 

"Okay look, I'm sorry the other vampires think you're geek-y," Mira said, "but hey, that's their problem. But really, you got to get a life, literally. I mean following the crowd ain't always the best thing to do." The vampire shrugged and walked away. Mira ran to catch up to him. "Do you know anything about the Slayer?" she asked. 

The vampire changed into his human form first before answering. "A little bit. I know she's blonde, has died two times and goes by the last name of Summers. But that's all I know, basically." 

Mira nodded. "You don't happen to know where she lives, by any chance?" 

"Look it up in the phone book," the vampire suggested, although in an annoyed fashion that suggested Mira should leave. 

"Oh, okay, thanks I guess," Mira said softly before turning around to leave the cemetery. 

Behind her, she heard the vampire morph back into his demonic form. "You know what," he said, "how about I kill you and I go to the Slayer?" 

Mira turned back around and folded her arms, challenging him with her gaze. "Try it," she said. "I dare you." 

That was all the convincing he needed. He charged at her full speed as she stood still. She didn't move until he had got close enough, and then she pulled a pencil out of her purse, stabbing him with it. He turned to dust as she put her pencil back into her purse. 

"If you have problems, come to me," she told the darkness. "I always find a way." 


	4. A Deal of Fate

**Chapter IV: A Deal of Fate**

Saturday was a day of relaxing, for most at least. While the non-Potentials and non-trainers got to relax upstairs next to a fan, everyone who had something to do with the training of the Potentials and the Potentials themselves were downstairs, training in the damp, and quickly becoming hot, basement. 

Xander and Dawn were sitting in the room playing a card game called 'President', or what Dawn's friends would rather call 'A-hole'. Dawn taught Xander all the game rules and how to play and was in the process of dealing an open-hand as their first game. Andrew, who was very bored being that he had nothing to do and all, sat on a chair and watched them play. 

"Are jokers included?" Andrew asked conversationally. 

"Yep," Dawn answered, paying more attention to the cards than to Andrew. 

"Cool," Andrew murmured. He looked closer at the hand Dawn had lain down on the table, then looked at Xander's hand. "Wow, Dawn, you have quadruple eight's…and three triples." 

"Well, that's what you get when you play with two people," Dawn told him. She sighed. "You know what your opponent has just by looking at your own cards. That's the downside of playing with two people, especially when you know that your opponent has all the power cards." 

"Oh cool, I got all the power cards," Xander said happily. When Dawn glared at him, he said, "Sorry." 

Dawn smiled. "No, it's not your fault," she said. "It's probably just beginners' luck. But if it happens again, I'll know you had something to do with it and then, I'll have to strangle you." She gave her best threatening Mafia-leader smile to which Xander laughed. 

"So, who starts?" Xander asked. 

"You do," Dawn told him, "because you have the three of clubs." 

"But you have more threes than I do," Xander pointed out. 

"Doesn't matter," Dawn said. "Three of clubs starts the game. Go on, play it." 

Xander laid his card in the middle of the table. "Now what?" 

"Now, I answer it with a single higher than three," Dawn said. "Remember, you want to get rid of as many cards as you can." She laid down a four. Xander looked at his own cards and took out his next highest single: a ten. "That's good," Dawn said. She looked at her own cards and let out a sigh. "But I have no more singles and I'm not a risk-taker, so take it. You won that one." 

"Really?" Xander asked, taking the three cards away. "Cool." He laid out triple fours to which Dawn happily answered with triple tens. Xander shook his head and Dawn swiped that trick away. She then laid down triple threes and grinned. Xander played his triple nines and she played her triple kings. She stuck her tongue out when he couldn't go. 

"And now on to the doubles," Andrew commented as Dawn laid down double fives. Xander matched her with double sixes. She matched with double sevens; him with double two-eyed jacks; her with double queens; him with double aces; and she took a risk in putting down her double twos. 

"Play a jack," Andrew whispered to Xander. Dawn gave him a death-glare as Xander complied and laid down an one-eyed jack, the third highest card power card. He looked up hopefully at Dawn to see if what he did was right and was rewarded with a pout from Dawn. 

"Grrr," Dawn said as she swiped the cards away. He placed down double fives; her with double sixes; him with double sevens; her with double eight's (which split up her quadruple in the process); him with double queens; and her with double aces. 

"Sorry Dawn, but…" Xander said as he put down his double twos, something she couldn't beat. Next he played his one-eyed jack, his two jokers, and the king of hearts, effectively winning the game and leaving Dawn with a double eight and single nine. 

Dawn pouted. "Damn beginners' luck," she whined. But then she brightened. "But I get to match. Ohh, you are so going down, Xander!" she said happily. 

Xander looked, confused, between Dawn and Andrew. "What? There's a match?" 

Andrew thought for a moment, then asked, "Like if you have double fives and he plays double fives, you can match him?" Dawn nodded, grinning wickedly. "Oh, sweet!" 

She looked at Xander. "Your deal…Mr. You're-So-Going-Down," she said. 

"Can I play?" Andrew asked. He was met with no's. "Oh, come one! This way, we can play more fairly and won't be able to guess what each other has." 

Dawn looked at Xander and Xander looked at Dawn. "Okay," they said in unison, and Xander began to deal for the three of them. But the door suddenly opened just as the phone rang. 

*** 

Willow quickly closed the door, yelled, "I'll get it!" before running into the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hello?" 

"Willow?" a female voice that Willow recognised immediately said. 

"Althenea, hi!" Willow exclaimed happily as she went to the refrigerator for a water bottle. "What's up?" 

"It turns out you have another Potential coming your way," Althenea began. "The Seers think she might have already arrived." 

Willow perked up, wondering if this Potential was Mira. She noticed out of the corner of her eye Dawn, Xander, and Andrew coming into the kitchen as she asked, "Do they know what this Potential looks like?" 

"Unfortunately not," Althenea answered. "All they know is that she's coming in from Canada." The line suddenly became very static-y. "And that - could be in to-wn. Will-ow?" 

"Yeah?" Willow answered, but knew Althenea would only partially hear her. 

"F-nd her - soon," Althenea said before the line was completely cut off. Willow frowned as she hung up the phone. 

"Something wrong, Willow?" Xander asked, concerned. 

"There's another Potential, and she might be in town," Willow said. "Plus, I get the feeling that the First intercepted out phone conversation." 

"You mean it's listening to your phone conversations with the coven?" Dawn asked. "When we get news about a Potential, it gets the news too?" 

Willow nodded sadly. "It could be," she said. "Which means we need to find this Potential before the First does. She's going to be in trouble." 

*** 

When Mira got back to her motel room, she decided to sleep the day and find the Slayer in the evening. Locking her door and putting the desk in front of it, she lay on the loveseat and covered herself with a blanket, quickly falling asleep. 

* 

_"Mommy!" There was that cry again. Mira found herself once again in the dream she had at the library. The little girl was clinging to her dead mother's arm while the vampire, in human form, watched on. Suddenly, the vampire looked up and saw Mira standing there. It seemed like he was the only one who could see her. _

_He grinned wickedly when Mira took a frightened step back. "Well, didn't expect a Potential all the way back here. Aren't you girls supposed to be going to the Hellmouth for protection?" _

_"I am at the Hellmouth," Mira answered. "This is just a dream." _

_"No, it's not a dream," the vampire said mysteriously, circling Mira. "This is my reality, the little girl's reality. Her mother just died because of something I did, and the little girl will be lost and helpless." He wandered over to the little girl and knelt beside her. "Isn't that right, Clara?" In response, she looked at him with frightened eyes. _

_"You know her name," Mira stated. _

_"Of course I do," the vampire sneered. "This girl is certainly popular in the Underworld." He looked at the young mother. "And she didn't even know the girl's power. She didn't even know what she was carrying." _

_"Why is this girl popular in the Underworld?" Mira asked, kneeling down next to him and the child. "Tell me," she said impatiently when he didn't answer. He merely looked at her, his face a mask. "What is so special about this poor child that you had to kill her mother?" _

_The vampire smirked and brought his face close to Mira's, so close she could smell a hint of cinnamon and the soap Irish Springs. "No, I didn't kill her mother," he whispered in Mira's ear, his breath tickling her skin. _

_She shivered as he breathed on her ear once more before drawing away to look at the child who was watching them anxiously. The vampire brushed a strand of the child's hair aside gently, as if touching her harder would break her fragile mould. The child flinched but didn't move away. _

_"Such a young sweet thing," the vampire said to Mira. "So innocent, so full of life." He picked up the child and growled at the vampire standing behind him, before walking away. Mira looked up to see the yellow eyes of another vampire staring at her. But she looked past him at the sign behind him. It read 'Fleury Park'. She was shocked. _

_Then, the mother's eyes opened._

* 

Mira gasped and sat up quickly, gasping, "Fleury Park! Why the hell was a special girl's mother murdered in a park across from the building I happened to live in? Well, back home at least." 

She checked the time and the light coming in through the window. It was still daylight, but it was getting pretty close to sundown. After straightening her shirt, she put on her jean jacket and grabbed her purse. 

Before she found the Slayer, she had to know what the Underworld knew about the child, Clara, and the vampire that talked to her. She had to find out what the hand she had been dealt meant. 


End file.
